Marcus Benjamin @_benjaminmoney
We have officially reached the offseason on all levels of football. Which means our focus as football lovers changes from actual helmet and pads games to the NFL draft, combines at all levels, the next recruiting cycle and seven on seven tournaments.
Seven on seven tournaments are now a football way of life and have now become imperative for athletes looking to get an edge on the competition. In an era where concussions are becoming more of a topic of discussion amongst football enthusiasts and naysayers, this type of football is a great way for players to fine tune their football skills without the heavy contact.
Florida is arguably the football hotbed of America. The state is home to about 200 players that played in the NFL last season and starting at the high school level many competed in 7 on 7 tournaments in the offseason.
Some of the more prominent teams in the Florida are: The Express, Strong Arm, Hard Knocks, Nghtmr, The Fire and Air 5. Air 5 out of Bradenton, FL is lead by Head Coach and former NFL quarterback Adrian McPherson. McPherson, former Florida State quarterback originally from Bradenton, started his team with the intention for kids to get the recognition they deserve.
McPherson started his team three years ago and does not coach tackle football. The former Mr. Football winner prides himself on developing quarterbacks and helped develop the 2017 Mr. Football winner, 7A state champion and Coastal Carolina signee quarterback Bryce Carpenter.
“My sole purpose for starting this was getting these kids the exposure they need,” said Coach McPherson. “Every kid on my team has a good chance to go to school.”
Like other teams, Air 5 plays in tournaments throughout the offseason and Coach McPherson has an under 12 year old, an under 15 and a high school team. The U-12 and U-15 won tournaments in the Pylon 7on7 Orlando tournament last weekend. Florida Fire won on the high school level in Orlando and Air 5 will play their first high school tourny in Myrtle Beach, SC on February 23rd. All three Air 5 teams finished in the top five in the country last year.
Seven on seven teams are composed of the top talent in their area as players try out to make the team. Therefore these squads are the best of the best playing on the same team from that particular area. McPherson helped develop other D-1 signees like Coastal Carolina signee Jaivon Heiligh who lead the country in receiving, Indiana signee Jamar Johnson, Marshall signee Talik Keaton, and Missouri signee Tyrone Collins.
“If these kids are playing against the best DBs across the country throughout the Winter and the Spring, quarterbacks and receivers are going to naturally be better because they faced talent that they would have never faced just competing at their high school in the Fall.”
Major recruiting sites are really taking notice to how players perform in seven on seven tournaments. Players have a tremendous opportunity to improve their rating with their performance on the field.
“For a kid like Bryce Carpenter where he played in a system that does not necessarily throw the football, I think seven on seven helps him because now people can see him throw the ball. I definitely think it helped him last year because he went from no stars to a three star because people saw him throw the ball against really good competition.”
In fact the number one recruit in the country of the 2018 class, Justin Fields, went from a four star to a five star in the offseason all based on his work in the offseason. He lead Mach Speed to a title in the 7on7 Opening Championship in 2017.
“Fields didn’t do one thing in pads in the offseason,” said McPherson. “If there wasn’t seven on seven or these offseason camps, he would have never made that jump. These recruiting sites are always there and if there are no tournaments such as these you would never see these kids compete against each other in the offseason.”
Air 5 average about eight tournaments per offseason. Players get exposed to talent from all over the country and can compare themselves to that top talent which is extremely valuable for these kids.
“Everywhere we go we do college tours. For example, I think it’s important when we play a tournament on the West Coast that we get in front of the coaches on the west coast to let them know that our Florida kids are interested in their program.”
In an the ever evolving landscape of American football, lives and coaching jobs are at stake and the accuracy of the rating of a prospect can be paramount to a college football program’s success. Seven on sevens develop that accuracy for not only quarterbacks/skill positions and recruiting ratings but also how prospects develop as students in the classroom.
“We have a financial literacy class, we have a food etiquette class and these mandatory things teaches them how to deal with real life situations.”
Seven on sevens are not just something to give future college football players something to do, it is more so preparation of life ahead so they can be successful and maximize their potential. McPherson sees himself to continue to develop these kids for many years to come. Air 5 will next play in the Pylon Tournament in Las Vegas February 23rd to the 25th.
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